Megabus Driver Who Killed Four Passengers Was Distracted by GPS

September 15, 2010

Texting while driving is dangerous, but doing the equivalent of that with dozens of people on board a “mega” vehicle is like playing with fire. The Megabus crash that left four dead and many injured in Syracuse on Saturday occurred because the driver was checking his own GPS despite a rule that drivers are not allowed to use GPS devices even when lost. For this very reason, we assume.

Authorities have not confirmed whether he was holding the device or listening to it when the crash occurred, but it must have been sufficiently distracting for him not to recognize that the 13-foot bus would not fit under a bridge with 10″ 9′ clearance. Authorities said he hit the bridge after making a wrong turn off I-81 on his way from Philadelphia to Toronto.

The driver, who survived but suffered head injuries, has been released from the hospital and was place on indefinite unpaid leave.